Lionel Messi set to sign for Inter Miami after leaving French champions PSG
It is believed that the offer from Al-Hilal was worth up to one billion euros, but Messi opted to move to America due to lifestyle preferences. Alongside already owning a house in Miami, Messi had wanted to go to a club where he could eventually have an ownership stake, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters this week. He also wanted to maximise his existing deal with Adidas and MLS's relationship with Apple.
MLS earns a flat fee of about $200 million per year from Apple until it reaches a certain threshold of subscriptions, after which point they will earn a share of the revenue from those subscriptions.
Messi's move to MLS is expected to drive viewers to the Apple TV streaming platform, as the world's most recognisable footballer.
MLS could not confirm the BBC report and said that the league approves all player contracts. Inter Miami also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Miami are co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, who was one of the first major European stars to move to the United States to play in the MLS, winning the MLS Cup twice with Los Angeles Galaxy.
Messi's preference was to return to his boyhood club Barcelona, but Financial Fair Play limitations handcuffed the LaLiga champions.
Had he accepted the eye-watering offer from Saudi Arabia, he would have joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in making a big-money move to the Middle East.
Messi - who led Argentina to World Cup glory in December - won two Ligue 1 titles while in PSG, scoring 32 goals in 75 games. However, failure to win the Champions League, as well as going on an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia during the season, left his relationship with the club and fans in tatters. Both parties agreed to let him leave as a free agent.
He will now play outside Europe for the first time since he joined Barca's academy at the age of 13 and became the Spanish club's all-time record goalscorer with 672 goals.
PSG EXIT
Once the crown jewel of European football, Messi has effectively been let go by two super clubs in two years -- for free.
At Barcelona, Messi has several records to his name at the club he did not want to leave, in a city he had called home since he was a teenager.
But Messi had no choice in the manner of his exit from Barcelona in 2021 as the club failed to make it financially feasible to retain his services.
His move away from PSG, however, is of his own volition as he felt the French club lacked a project for the future while fan unrest only hastened his exit.
The highs after winning Argentina's first World Cup in 36 years were quickly offset by the lows he experienced in Paris.
Even before he could rest on his World Cup laurels he found himself in the eye of a storm when, for the first time in his illustrious career, his club's fans turned against him amid PSG's troubling form.
Supporters of PSG, owned and funded by Qatar Sports Investments, have become accustomed to winning domestic titles in the past decade. They won their ninth title in 11 seasons last month.
But the holy grail -- the Champions League -- remains elusive after yet another meek exit in the last 16.